Stacking not working with Edited PSD/TIFs

[davco9200]

I have been using Lightroom (Classic) for over decade and have had the same workflow:

• Work in lightroom for the selects
• From Lightroom, Edit in Photoshop... Make Edits. Save..
• Go back to lightroom and see my CR2 and PSD file side by side so I can see / work with the original and the edited version.

Somehow this is no longer working... The edited images do show up in my catalog (in "All Photographs") but in the folder view and with my images, they are not showing up. 

I have hunted around for settings (Preferences - Auto Stack = Yes, Filters, sorts, etc.) and everything is set 'correctly' and nothing has changed from my previous catalog / workflow but for some reason they aren't showing up. 

It's really maddening and it _feels_ like a bug, but I don't see anyone else reporting it. 

Lightroom Classic Version: 13.1

Mac OS Version: 14.2 (I do see the issues for that update but I don't see THIS issue as one of them..) 

Any help and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

Update: Just upgraded to 14.2.1 and tested it out and still behaving the same way... Sigh. 

[JohanElzenga]

If the edited image shows up in 'All Photographs', then it must be in some folder as well. But maybe it's in another folder than the original photo. The 'capitalisation error' can do that. So do the following: in 'All Photographs' select the edited photo, and then choose 'Photo - Go to folder in Library'. Lightroom will show you in which folder the photo is stored, so you can see if this is the same folder as the original (the way it should be), or in another folder.

[davco9200]

THank you for your response but nope that's not it. See attched screengrab where you can see where I tested .tif and .psd for the image Icarus-135 - I've overlayed the finder folder with the Library view of the folder. I took a screen grab of the 'All Images' too...

[JohanElzenga]

Please read my answer again. In your first screenshot you have selected the original raw file in Lightroom. I suggested to select the PSD file in 'All Photographs' and then choose 'Go to folder in Library'. The 'capitalisation error' is known to occur sometimes when sending images to Photoshop or a plugin, and the symptom is that while the MacOS Finder shows the PSD image in the same folder as the original, Lightroom does not. Lightroom will show it in a different folder with the same name.

P.S. Please do not attach screenshots, but embed them in the message. Use this button 

[davco9200]

Hi Johan 

Actually I did to that - in the screengrab with the .CR2 file is the .TIF and the .PSD file test. 

I've selected the other PSD file in the Lightroom, doing what you've explictly requested, but as you can see, all the CR files are in (as it usually is) with the .PSD / .TIF files

[richardplondon]

There may be a confusion here between "Show in Finder" (or Explorer), and "Go to Folder in Library".

There is sometimes an issue where the Catalog holds what is effectively - as Finder treats it - the same location path against two imported files, but strictly - as the Catalog treats it - two different paths. For example, a folder "images" somewhere in the full path of one, and a folder "Images" at the same point in the full path of the other. Both images successfully direct to the same folder in Finder, where they do live together. But each will report a discrete location so far as the Folders panel of LrC.

To a human "images" and "Images" are probably regarded as a difference without a difference; the OS treats it that way too. But the Catalog cannot see past the difference. And "Go to Folder in Library" will reveal this, if that is indeed what's happening. This difference of treatment may occur invisibly higher up the folder tree, and not be evident in the immediate folders as presented inside LrC.

[JohanElzenga]

There may be a confusion here between "Show in Finder" (or Explorer), and "Go to Folder in Library".

By @richardplondon

Exactly. Do not use 'Show in Finder', because we already know the result. We need to see the Lightroom folder panel after you selected the PSD in 'All Photographs' and chose the menu 'Go to Folder in Library'.

[davco9200]

Ah thanks - that's my error then. Apologies to Johan! I have been googling for the 'definitive' way to solve the capitalisation bug - (I'm backing up the catalog now)... If folks can point me to something - I haven't been able to find a help page from Adobe on this...  Is there a way I can prevent it going forward since it's jsut a few images and live with those or do I have to go through the whole CapFix move?

(Also, shame Adobe - this is 2023 - to have this kind of issue where path capitalisation is an issue... I work in software and this is a bit of a rookie bug.)

[JohanElzenga]

Ah thanks - that's my error then. Apologies to Johan! I have been googling for the 'definitive' way to solve the capitalisation bug - (I'm backing up the catalog now)... If folks can point me to something - I haven't been able to find a help page from Adobe on this...  Is there a way I can prevent it going forward since it's jsut a few images and live with those or do I have to go through the whole CapFix move?

(Also, shame Adobe - this is 2023 - to have this kind of issue where path capitalisation is an issue... I work in software and this is a bit of a rookie bug.)

By @davco9200

You need to use the whole procedure, or accept that you see two folders. It doesn't do any harm not to solve this: 

https://www.lightroomqueen.com/capitalization-catalog-error/

And for your info: this is not Adobe's fault. It is caused by the fact that MacOS (and Windows too) is case-insensitive, so it disregards the capitalization in a folder name, while Lightroom is case-sensitive so it (correctly!) sees that there are actually two folders with the same name (but different capitalization).

[richardplondon]

I do wonder if the design decision might have been better pragmatically, to simply have LrClassic Catalogs be case-insensitive - since that's what the file system is, that they are referencing. At the very least, as an option. But I can't imagine a use case that requires case sensitivity. Two differently capitalised but otherwise same named folders OR files can never exist side by side on disk, anyway - no circumstance could arise where such needed to be told apart.

[JohanElzenga]

Well, that is indeed an open question. It's been like this since Lightroom 1, but I have no idea if there was a real reason for it or if it was indeed just sloppy programming.

[davco9200]

Ah so digging into this, it looks like it's an issue introduced with the way that Dropbox migration happened because of how Apple is forced changes on cloud storage. Everything now in ~/Library/CloudStorage/

Old:

/Users/cd/Dropbox/Pictures/Lightroom/2023/2023-12-16

New: 

/Users/cd/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/Pictures/Lightroom/2023/2023-12-16

Is this the same fix given that it's two folders off?

[JohanElzenga]

It's a slightly different cause, but I would think that the same solution can be used. The old path should not really exist anymore, but I think Dropbox may be using hard links to make it still valid.

[ron_twi]

I've exactly the same issue. The capitalisation solution doesn't work for this issue. I noticed someone had the same question on the Dropbox forum, but that was escalated to service ticket without feed-back on the forum. Is there a quick fix or do I have to contact Dropbox as well?

[davco9200]

Heh - that was me on that forum too!

Here are the insturctions I got from Dropbox which worked for me. The key for me is step 4 - right click and re-link the folder and it will pool the two folders together. (I didn't have to do the other bits, just step 4) 

Addressing the issue of the updated Dropbox library structure causing problems with Lightroom Classic on a Mac involves a few steps. The main goal is to ensure Lightroom Classic recognizes the new path and consolidates the images without creating duplicates. Here's a step-by-step guide to resolve this issue:
 

1. Backup Your Catalog and Images: Before making any changes, ensure you have a backup of your entire Lightroom catalog and the images. This is a precautionary measure to prevent any accidental loss of data.
2. Open Lightroom Classic: Start Lightroom Classic on your Mac. It's crucial to fix the issue within the Lightroom interface to ensure it recognizes the new paths.
3. Locate Missing Folders: In Lightroom's Library module, you'll likely see question marks or exclamation marks on the folders or images that are now in the new Dropbox path. These symbols indicate that Lightroom cannot find the original files.
4. Relink Folders to the New Path: Right-click (or Control-click) on a top-level missing folder (e.g., the folder for the year 2023) and choose 'Find Missing Folder' from the context menu. Then navigate to the new location of this folder in the updated Dropbox path (/Users/cd/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/Pictures/Lightroom/2023). Select this folder to relink it.
5. Consolidate Duplicates: If Lightroom has created duplicates of images or folders post-update, you will need to manually merge these. Compare the contents of the duplicate folders and ensure that all your edits, ratings, and metadata are intact. You can then delete the empty or duplicate folders from within Lightroom to clean up your catalog.
6. Verify File Integrity and Synchronization: After relinking and consolidating, thoroughly check some random images to ensure that they are correctly linked and that all edits are present. Also, verify that the Dropbox sync is functioning correctly, and the files in your Dropbox folder mirror those in Lightroom.
7. Rebuild Previews If Necessary: If you encounter issues with previews, consider regenerating them in Lightroom. This can be done by selecting the affected images, right-clicking, and choosing 'Library > Previews > Build Standard-Sized Previews'.
8. Monitor for Sync Issues: Going forward, keep an eye on how Lightroom and Dropbox synchronize, especially when adding new images or making significant changes in your catalog. This will help you catch and address any sync issues early.

If you continue to experience issues or find this process too complex, I recommend reaching out to Adobe's Lightroom Classic support for more tailored assistance. They might offer additional solutions or workarounds specific to your situation.

[ron_twi]

Thank you for your comprehensive explaination!

Unfortunately it didnt work form me... In step 4 in my case it says: "Udate folder location". That's what I did. It merges the two folders, but stil on the wrong location in the overview, but with the new Cloud Storage bame. Moving it to "Lightroom Actual/2024" gives the error "Folder already exists".

I did a work around as a temporary solution: 

- Create a 2024 new

- Move pics to 2024 new

- Remove 2024

- Rename 2024 new to 2024

[JohanElzenga]

Simply using 'Update folder location' and then selecting the folder you see on disk will not work if the issue is caused by a hard link that points to the old location. You will have to use the method described in the capitalization error solution.

[ron_twi]

Tried that @JohanElzenga but that didn't work.....

[ron_twi]

Good news!

This issue is solved by creating new presets in the Lightroom Import Module to a new disc location. By creating these new presets, the "/Library/Cloud Storage/" is automatically added to the file structure of this new location.

Next step, in the Lightroom Library Module, was to move all folders to this new location. Everything is working fine now. Also edits in Photoshop are saved in the right location.

[davco9200]

Oh that's great - that might be a better solve - can you elaborate on what your presets are doing? Is it something you can share your 'recipe'?

[ron_twi]

@davco9200 It's pretty simple...

Here's a screenshot of of my import setting. Highlighted is the now correct location.

My first step was to remove all (in my case three) import presets.

Next, in Finder, I created a new folder for my pics (in my case Ligtroom Actual)

Next I created a new import preset to this new location

Next I imported one dummy picture for every year. This creates the annual sub-folders

Next I removed all dummy pictures leaving empty folders per year

Next I moved all subfolders (events) to the correct new annual folders

Finally I removed the obsolete old Dropbox folders (both in the Library Module and Finder)

The whole procedure took me about 10 minutes.

This is how it looks finished: